Kids Summer Camp with Paddle Sports Center
Helping your Kids Tune into Nature, Build Skills and Learn about the Ocean.
Looking for an exhilarating, fun outdoor experience for your kids this summer?
Paddle Sports Center has developed an outstanding program for kids that combines the physical excitement of ocean paddling with a dynamic, hands-on education geared towards conservation and exploration. Offered as a kids summer day camp, after-school program and as a field trip for schools and homeschoolers, our Ocean Explorers program has been honed over the years into an unforgettable experience that teaches kids valuable skills, fosters a deeper relationship with the ocean, and provides exhilarating fun in the sun.
A very popular camp that continues to grow year after year, our Ocean Explorers camp is a great way to unplug, unwind and have fun learning new skills, and our summer camp session will begin soon!
Run in collaboration with Save the Mermaids, the Ocean Explorers kids summer camp incorporates marine education topics that relate to the local flora and fauna. Kids will get to view marine life from exciting and unique perspectives by learning kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, boogie-boarding, surfing, body surfing and snorkeling – each one offering a unique perspective to view the ocean environment. There is also whale watching, museum visits, beach cleanups and beach play to round out the program. Our mission at PSC is to share the ocean and paddling with as many people as possible, and our Ocean Explorers programs are a great way to create a new generation of enthusiastic ocean stewards, empowered to care for the sea.
Time in nature is vital to our health
It’s now a proven fact that being in nature promotes better health. Playing outside is vital to a child’s emotional, intellectual, physical and social well-being. But children are spending more and more time inside in front of screens, and less time outdoors engaged in nature and physical activities. According to The Child Mind Institute’s article, Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature, children are only spending an average of 4 to 7 minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play compared to over 7 hours a day in front of a screen.
Research shows that kids who spend more time outdoors have less anxiety, are more attentive, happier, and as this study says, even smarter than their indoor-dwelling counterparts. But why is this so?
Time in nature builds confidence both physically and intellectually. It also promotes creativity and imagination, provides a more organic stimulation, gets kids moving, and invites them into a greater sense of wonder as they encounter the natural world around them. Time in nature also reduces stress and fatigue, and is especially beneficial for kids with ADHD.
Spending time outdoors has also shown to have a significant effect on reducing type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stress and anxiety, among other benefits. It has also been shown to improve the ability to focus and to enhance performance on creative tasks.
PSC’s Kids Summer Camp
Ocean Explorer’s camp is a chance for kids to leave their busy, indoor worlds behind and immerse themselves in nature while building confidence in the water, learning about ocean health and having fun!
PSC’s programs are also an opportunity for kids to stretch beyond their limits and grow in unexpected ways. They’ll take on new physical and mental challenges, and learn about the environment around them. Out on the ocean, they’ll also recharge and reset, a vital element in today’s overly busy society.
The kids summer camp is run in weekly sessions, 9am – 3pm, Mon. – Fri., all summer long, and is divided into two age groups – Minnows are 7 – 10, and Makos are 11 – 14. All counselors are CPR, First-Aid Certified and have completed our rigorous internal Ocean Risk Management Program. Most of our counselors hold even higher medical training. Paddle Sports Center is also a certified Academy of Surfing Instructors (ASI) SUP School.
What do our Campers say?
Our past campers have lots of great things to say about our program.
“I enjoyed going to ocean camp because it helped me grow my confidence in the water and my skills paddle boarding. I had never even been kayaking or boarding before and didn’t want to do it. But now I love kayaking and paddle boarding!”
“It was really enjoyable to stand up on the board all by myself, with my new friends. Thank you!”
“I used to be scared of the water and would never go in. Now i love going in the water and go all the time.”
Thank you for letting me kayak because I got to go back and got to paddle board by myself. I liked playing war and boogie board and snorkeling at Sant Spit and I got to make new friends. And I got to see a harbor seal when I was learning how to paddle board.”
“Thank you for the best week!”
Scholarships available
PSC and Save the Mermaids want to make this outstanding program available to everyone. Scholarships to our camp and after-school program are available through Save the Mermaids.
More Fun and Education: PSC’s Field Trips & After-School Programs
During the school year, PSC runs the Ocean Explorers program as an after-school program, and also as a field trip for your school or homeschool. The kids absolutely love coming down to the water to have a very different school experience. It takes them far out of the classroom and engages them physically and intellectually. We focus on ocean sports and marine education, just like the curriculum in our Ocean Explorers program. Contact us for more information.
